Thermophilic (55-65 C) and Extreme Thermophilic (70-80 °C) Sulfate Reduction in Methanol and Formate-Fed UASB Reactors

The feasibility of thermophilic (55-65 °C) and extreme thermophilic (70-80 °C) sulfate-reducing processes was investigated in three labscale upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactors fed with either methanol or formate as the sole substrates and inoculated with mesophilic granular sludge previously not exposed to high temperatures. Full methanol and formate degradation at temperatures up to, respectively, 70 and 75 °C, were achieved when operating UASB reactors fed with sulfate rich (COD/SO42- = 0.5) synthetic wastewater. Methane-producing archaea (MPA) outcompeted sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in the formate-fed UASB reactor at all temperatures tested (65-75 °C). In contrast, SRB outcompeted MPA in methanol-fed UASB reactors at temperatures equal to or exceeding 65 °C, whereas strong competition between SRB and MPA was observed in these reactors at 55 °C. A short-term (5 days) temperature increase from 55 to 65 °C was an effective strategy to suppress methanogenesis in methanol-fed sulfidogenic UASB reactors operated at 55 °C. Methanol was found to be a suitable electron donor for sulfate-reducing processes at a maximal temperature of 70 °C, with sulfide as the sole mineralization product of methanol degradation at that temperature.